The Kungsleden trail is a 440km hiking trail that crosses Lapland (a region in the north of Sweden) from north to south. It is often ranked in the top 10 of the most beautiful hikes in the world, and there is a reason for this: It is spectacular! This summer I decided to go there and see for myself… And it was AMAZING! One of the coolest laws in Sweden is the Allemansrätten, which basically allows you to camp ANYWHERE you want (even in private property) for a night (except within 100m of a house), as well as to pick berries and mushrooms to your discretion! In addition, in Sweden it is legal to do fires wherever you feel like, so you can have a nice camp fire and some barbecue with your friends without asking for permission, as long as you are careful. Of course, I took advantage of this law during the hike: Basically, during the Kungsleden hike you will go through vast amounts of uninhabited territory, walking through emptiness, waterfalls, valleys, rivers, lakes… Getting lost in your own thoughts and admiring the wonderful arts that nature has crafted.

And you will even go past Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise (2,106m), which you can climb (like I did in the picture below): During this hike you will also see plenty of reindeers roaming in freedom. The Sami people (the indigenous community living in the north of Sweden and partly Norway/Finland) has traditionally herded these beautiful animals, and once a year in summer they gather them to mark them and mark the new-born. I got really lucky and managed to see a large group from very close:ogio soho laptop backpack review You don’t have to worry too much about food, since there are some stations along the way where you can replenish your stock, but since these are quite expensive, it might be a clever idea to bring most of the food with you from the start. meade backpack observatory review

Also, there are plenty of cabins along the way where you can sleep in case the weather gets bad… But these are also quite expensive (about 300-500SEK per night), so consider bringing your own tent, so that you can camp in awesome places and have a swim after a long day of walking: You will go through plenty of valleys, mountains and rivers, and you have the choice to take many diverging smaller paths, so that you can go exactly wherever you feel like going. If you are like me and travel without maps, you can just follow the main trail and don’t worry about getting lost. palomino backpack 550A great thing about hiking through such pure nature is that you can drink the water from rivers directly, without any need to use iodine tablets. sakroots backpack ebayAnd hey, having a great view is just an extra plus:sybil backpack fairy

From time to time you will need to cross lakes or large rivers, and the STF (Swedish tourist association) has placed some rowing boats that you can use for free for crossing those… And I also used them for getting some sun tan 😛 If you like hiking and nature, look no further. Just buy your train tickets using the Swedish Train system to Abisko, and start your hike! You won’t regret it! Oh, and also bring some mosquito-repellent spray! And perhaps the best part…. Ynike wsu backpackou’ll have an awesome adventure picture to show to all your friends and family: PS: I didn’t manage to do the whole hike because of time-constraints, but I’ll finish it one day! 😀The Kungsladen, or ‘Kings Trail’ when translated is a momentous 440 kilometer trek that cuts through huge swathes of Sweden’s jaw-dropping wilderness. It dives through national parks, skirts the highest mountains in the country and traversers some of the least frequently visited regions in Scandinavia.

When Theo and Bee approached us with a plan to make a documentary celebrating the trail and encouraging people to get out and give it a go themselves we jumped at the chance to support them in their audacious adventure. The feature length documentary is now available to watch below, and is also available as a series of webisodes available via their Youtube Channel. Tell us a little about who you guys are and a brief history of the ‘VDubVanLife’ Project We’re Theo & Bee: van travellers and outdoor adventurers, documenting our lives every step of the way. Setting off in June 14’ in a VWT4 campervan we’ve covered more than 35,000 miles and 23 countries. What and Where is the Kungsleden Trail? The Kungsleden is a 440km trail through the heart of arctic Sweden, beginning in the north at Absiko and ending in the small town of Hemavan. Why were you attracted to this route? It’s situated within the last largest remaining wilderness in Europe - we had to see it all.

What is the aim of the webisode series? We hope to inspire others to load their backpacks and embark upon their own adventure along the Kungsleden. What was life on the trail like? Each day presented new possibilities, vast valleys and powerful rivers, meeting many fellow hikers, drinking from streams, and watching the northern lights. What was the most jaw dropping sight you experienced? A short detour off the trail to Skierfe rewards you with epic views of Rapadalen, the most jaw dropping sight we experienced. Tell us something that you found completely unexpected about the experience of long distance thru hiking? Within a few weeks our bodies were already shaped by the trail, we’d power on up rocky ascents without breaking a sweat. How did it feel to complete your objective? Crossing the line into Hemavan after 30 days awakened such an astounding sense of achievement - we’d seen the entire trail and filmed every step along the way.

What is the most memorable thing, looking back that you’ll take from the experience? The amount of untouched wilderness still left to explore within Europe was eye-opening - we only touched upon a small part of it. Manaslu 55:65 (Bee)& Manaslu 65:75 (Theo)30 days hiking with the Manaslu upon our backs was a breeze, the Axiom system allows for a completely unique fit to your body. All our essential camping gear fit within the pack, with enough room for our camera gear on top allowing everything to stay secure. We’d worried about potential back problems with 20kg loads but we didn’t even have one twinge, the pack felt weightless. Many days we didn’t have shelter from the rain to stop for food so keeping snacks in the hip belt allowed for refuelling on the move without having to remove the bag, ideal to keep the momentum going. The bags took quite a battering being hoisted around everyday, dropped onto the ground and facing a barrage of rainfall, snow, and hail but they held true throughout the entire adventure.